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No Filter: Million-dollar deals in Chennai are made over music and biryani
Chennai audience has always been known for being great connoisseurs of the arts.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
The week that went by could be marked as a Hindustani music week for the city, as Sufi music, ghazals and qawwalis formed the backdrop for several events.
In the city, at a private exclusive event, some incredibly soulful Sufi music and ghazals had the audience mesmerized, as many business deals were made, not just within the city, but as a result of many international alliances as well.
Munna Shauqat Ali, whose voice is timeless and whom everyone recognises from the song Piya Haji Ali in Fiza, regaled the audience with shayaris (Urdu poetry) by the greats, and the discerning audience was all ears. Jyoti Nair captivated the audience with soothing ghazals and her poetry.
She was kind enough to translate Urdu for the guests, and after each song, she was given a thunderous applause and ‘wah wah’ and ‘bohot khoob’ (very good!) from the guests. She was much sought after during dinner for the great conversationalist she is, who can seamlessly transition from current affairs to matters of the heart and philosophy — all this in her soothing and melodious voice.
She has been performing for over 30 years now and the late Mrs YG Parthasarathy, an educationist and a great patron of arts, was the one to launch her in Chennai by giving her a platform at a youth festival many years ago. There has been no looking back since then. As a trained Hindustani singer, Jyoti ventured to learn Western music and Carnatic techniques from DK Pattammal, late renowned Carnatic musician. Jyoti’s openness to learn from outside the genre has expanded her repertoire admirably. She has a voice that seems to have travelled through time and she enjoys singing period music and the songs that she grew up with. Her eyes light up as she tells me that her father used to request her to sing those numbers. If you have ever wondered how million-dollar deals and MoUs get signed in Chennai, it is over great music and good biryani.
Maschine orchestras, the future of musical performances
Last week, the world’s largest Maschine orchestra (that uses 'Maschine', an electronic instrument), The KM Maschine Ensemble, performed at the Covelong Point Surf Festival and people still can’t stop talking about them. Despite rain playing spoilsport, audience was hooked as they continued to enjoy their tunes by dancing in the rain. Yash Pathak, the conductor of the orchestra, had also composed the original tracks that were debuted on that very stage. He is also a producer, arranger, percussionist, sound engineer, music theorist and a musicologist, apart from performing world over with some of the biggest musicians. No wonder that this talented young lad hasn’t found the time to date just yet. Good news, ladies!
The Maschine orchestra, based out of the city-based KM Music Conservatory, resulted from Mozart of Madras AR Rahman’s creative and musical collaborations with the best minds in music from across the world. Carmen Rizzo, an international music producer and the Senior AR Manager at Native Instruments (the firm which makes the Maschine instrument), and Rahman came together to make this vision a reality. Yash is eternally grateful to them and also to Adam Greig and Fathima Rafiq (from KM Music Conservatory), along with the rest of his collabotors, as he likes to refer to them. I asked him if Maschine orchestras are the future. “We are able to play the Maschines because we have classical knowledge and we are sticking to our musical roots. However, Maschine orchestra will become more popular around the world and are the future,” he says.
Besides playing Rahman’s hit songs, they played five original compositions that evening, many of which will be live on YouTube this week for those of you who missed it. Sources tell me that the Soup Song they played was quite the hit and had the audience wanting to hear it once more, refusing to let them leave the stage. Carmen, sitting in Los Angeles, has seen their performance and is thrilled with the result, despite not understanding the regional language. Yash is over the moon as compliments are flowing in for him over the past week. A decade of living in Chennai, he finally calls this city his home, as this is where he found his music, and the boy has hit the ground running.
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